Newly-formed developer Perihelion Interactive, whose members have worked on Assassin's Creed 1 & 2, Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures and The Secret World are crafting a single-player RPG in which you can choose to join with up to five other players to explore the far reaches of space and the dynamics of human interaction.

“We’ve enjoyed dozens of sci-fi RPGs over the years, but we always thought they lacked a certain something,” explains Ole Herbjornsen, founder of Perihelion Interactive.

“We just weren’t sure what. Then, while thumbing through our collection of favourite movies and TV shows, the answer struck us. In great shows like Star Trek, Battlestar Galactica or Firefly, the drama comes not from the ships but from the crew members – their hopes, their fears, their rivalries, their relationships. A ship without a crew feels hollow, meaningless.”

In The Mandate, you are the captain of a single vessel, manned by a cadre of officers chosen and customized by you. Each is individually named, with his/her own stats and strategic capabilities.

The decisions you make in The Mandate affect the world around you. Every action has a consequence. Push your ship to the farthest reaches of the universe; diplomacy and morality are pushed along with it.

You are also fallible; you make mistakes. Often, this will end with families torn apart. Your actions will invariably mean loss of life. Issuing orders to officers will dynamically affect the actions of your crew.

Featuring an art style inspired by the 'no-frills' productions of realistic science fiction TV and movies, The Mandate is a deeply methodical and logical approach to space exploration. Every component has a purpose; technologies and strategies make sense in the context of both the lore and the future of space exploration.